NCTR says apology from Pope to residential school survivors long overdue

Pope Francis, centre, waves from the balcony of St Peter's basilica during the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" Christmas address and blessing given to the city of Rome and to the World, on Dec. 25, 2017 at St Peter's square in Vatican.ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) at the University of Manitoba has thrown their support behind a failed motion introduced by the NDP, which called for Pope Francis to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system.

The motion, which was introduced in the House of Commons earlier this week, needed unanimous support but failed when Conservative MPs voted against it.

Pope Francis made headlines late last month after he issued a letter stating he would not personally apologize for abuses committed, which angered and disappointed survivors.

“An apology from the Pope is an extremely important step in acknowledging the multitude of harms inflicted on children in the residential schools,” Ry Moran, director of the NCTR said in a news release, calling an apology “long overdue.”

“Given the seriousness of what occurred in the schools, Survivors, intergenerational Survivors and Indigenous people deserve to hear directly from the Pope,” Moran continued.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #58 — one of 94 — reads: “we call upon the Pope to issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.”

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